Midnight Raid on Akatou
by The Interrupter
Summary: Stealth and explosives are two of Naruto's greatest assets. To retrieve her team from Iwa's greatest fortress, she'll use a gratuitous level of both. Female Naruto. One-Shot. Sequel is up.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Midnight Raid on Akatou.

Two shadows swept over the moonlit countryside of Tsuchi no Kuni, near the border of Kusa territory. They moved like ghosts over the rugged landscape. So stealthy was their passage, that the wildlife around the figures went undisturbed, completely unaware of the two humans passing by them. They crept quickly through the brush when the moon was in full view and crossed fields rapidly when the luminescence of the moon was dulled by passing clouds. They moved like predatory felines, no energy wasted, every motion flowing into the next like a carefully rehearsed dance. They moved together with body language that spoke of deep trust. However, these qualities could be ignored in favor of their most noticeable trait, speed. Their pace put the aforementioned felines to shame.

The figures appeared as brown blobs due to the cloaks over their forms. In a moment of desperation they could throw themselves to the ground, the texture and patten of the garments would act as a hasty camouflage. Masks would hide their identities if the light of the moon made their countenances visible. Despite the identical attire, they had drastically different forms. One was a tall man, lean, but with whipcord muscles that had been toned to react to any threat with a shocking speed and efficiency. The other, however, was shorter with a feminine form.

The taller man's only visible eye was set in grim determination. He had a bingo book page that put anyone below S rank to shame. He looked to be in his early thirties. Beneath his cloak was the standard Jounin outfit of his home village, Konohagakure no Sato. Were his head visible, one would be shocked by the gravity defying nature of his pure silver hair. Nicknamed Sharingan no Kakashi, he was one of, if not the most, dangerous Jounin who made his home in Hi no Kuni. Officially, he was the Jounin sensei of Genin Team Seven. Unofficially he was the Taichou of Fast Response Team Zero. His name was Hatake Kakashi and his anger had never been as great as it was at this moment.

The average civilian would look at the number zero and laugh at a number they thought only juveniles would call "cool". He wouldn't be entirely wrong in this dismissal. The number zero was reserved for the original, the very first team to represent their particular type of unit. Unlike other numbers, zero was never used after the team had been disbanded. There were dozens of ninja squads called Tracker Team One, there had only ever been one Tracker Team Zero. However, it was a prototype number, many Teams with the Zero designation had been disbanded with no other teams to follow them due to a lack of results. Many ideas had been thrown by the wayside because they cost too much to maintain or their purposes were already met by units currently in existence.

Fast Response Team Zero was an exception to this tradition of failure, handily. Their success rate was impressive and they had thus far managed to keep their identities unknown. Their purpose was to be Konoha's first defense, providing speedy protection in case of attack, relief to overwhelmed teams in the field, and vicious attacks to Konoha's enemies before they had time to prepare suitable defenses. A few of the Shinobi and Kunoichi, whose asses had been pulled out of the proverbial fire, had bemoaned the fact that they were unable to thank, have a drink with, or properly toast the team that had helped them make it back home. Anyone they asked either had no idea who or what a "Fast Response Team" was or were tight-lipped with whatever information they had.

When Kakashi had presented the idea to the Sandaime Hokage after getting the suggestion from Naruto of all people, he had expected outright rejection. However, instead of dismissal from the vaunted "God of Shinobi", he received a long stare, followed by a pile of paper work to put his idea into effect. During its probationary period the identities of its members would remain secret.

The events leading up to this less than legal nighttime excursion made the fury present in Kakashi understandable. Iwa nin had captured two of the members of his little family. In the back of his mind, he knew their actions were impersonal. At worst they could create their own bastard teams based on the original via information acquired through interrogation. At best they could convince the team to switch sides. A small part of Kakashi admitted he would have made the same order.

This was different though, they weren't another team, they were _his_ team; and he would be damned if he didn't get them back. It was should have been unsurprising that when the remaining member of his team told him she had a plan to get her teammates back after that trap of a mission, he jumped at the chance. Speaking of which, the final member of his team hadn't spoke since they crossed the border from Kusa into Tsuchi. He glanced over at her catching her eye.

Her eyes held a mechanical calm that frightened him more that if they held barely restrained rage that her hot-headed nature leaned towards. Though, that look, so rarely kept on her face, gave him a sense of reassurance. One it meant she had a plan, and two, she was furious. Her plans were effective, doubly so when angered. He had never seen her so angry.

She stood a great deal shorter than Kakashi, but was capable of movement speeds greater than almost every other kunoichi in the Elemental Nations, let alone Konoha. While only sixteen and less than a year into her tenure as a kunoichi of Konoha, she was already a capable genin, as the Chunnin Exams slated had not yet occured, and arguably the strongest non–jounin of her team. Her figure was decidely feminine. Underneath her cloak she wore a grey and brown patterned bodysuit that made no rustling noises during high speed movement. After all, stealth was her specialty. Currently brown hair fell down her back in twin ponytails that could act as a weapon on its own. A quick burst of wind chakra would shred the hand of anyone who tried to grab the hanging locks.. Her heart shaped, whisker-marked face was marred by a thoughtful frown. Her normally cheerful blue eyes were currently a cloudy gray. It was rather surprising that Uzumaki Naruto wasn't showing even remote signs of being under the influence of the Kyuubi no Kitsune housed within her.

"So," Kakashi began, his lazy voice masking his feelings, "are you sure you want to do this yourself?"

Naruto glanced over at him before speaking. "You know Konoha doesn't have enough proof to send a proper strike force, too messy, too much evidence. We can't have a war on our hands for being caught red handed flattening an Iwa base inside their own country. Besides, They are _my _teammates."

Kakashi smiled at that, his single visible eye forming a U shape. He had drilled teamwork into their heads from day one and it worked better than he could have hoped, albeit, Naruto tended to be a bit possessive. Their teamwork was flawless.

Okay, maybe he was being a bit hyperbolic, but, they were murderously effective; and less than a year out of the academy to boot! Still, Naruto's plan put her in a position that Kakashi didn't like to support. It was risky, but, a frontal attack would have been positively suicidal.

They spent the rest of their self imposed journey in silence, navigating the territory of Konoha's most historic enemy silently and with blinding speed. As they drew within a thousand yards of Iwa's famed "Fortress of Red Stone", Naruto gestured to one of the many hills that surrounded the fortress. The duo stopped as Naruto wordless generated a kage bunshin. It carefully moved to shadowed side of the hill and climbed with stealthy grace.

Kakashi and Naruto moved onto the hill just below the crest after receiving the 'all clear' signal from Naruto's clone. After settling into prone positions Naruto and Kakashi observed the celebrated fortress. Akatou Fortress had been the only encampment so close to the border to remain untaken during the previous war.

Akatou meant "Red Tower," and the name was certainly apt. Iwa masons had put considerable effort into dying the large stones labs that made an impressive crimson color. They liked to say that the fort was dyed red with the blood of the hapless enemies who had attacked it. Thick walls formed a square that encompassed the whole of the fortress. Beyond the wall were stone towers that looked out over each of the four sides. The towers were identical; each with a roof that hung far out over the exposed observation area, ladders were the only way up the many towers. Each tower rested on a large rock slab, Low buildings in the center of the compound held the barracks and main office, which held the prison cells and command center. A single set of sturdy stone gates was the only way in or out of the fortress.

It was unconquered for a few reasons. One, the clear land around it made surprise attacks impossible. Two, seals carved deep in the earth around the fortress made channeling chakra belowground impossible. Third, the walls were reinforced with fuuinjutsu and chakra, which made them able to stand up to even the strongest ninjutsu. The Yondaime Hokage never bothered to destroy it because the frontline had moved past it once the war neared its conclusion. If nothing else the bastion was an effective piece of propaganda showcasing the might of Iwagakure no Sato.

In war time the fortress would boast nearly two hundred elite chunin and jounin. However, in the relative peace that followed the last shinobi war, its numbers had been whittled down to nearly seven or eight dozen chunin and one jounin commander.

Naruto stared impassively at the supposedly "indomitable" fortress; comparing the layout with the descriptions she assembled from the few Konoha shinobi that had survived attacks on the damnable compound. As advertised, towers pervaded the entire fort in a grid pattern, allowing defenders to rain death on any who made it past the walls.

Uzumaki Naruto was angry, no, angry doesn't quite cover it.

Naruto was fucking livid. A messenger hawk came in from a border town requesting assistance as a great many civilians had gone missing in a very short timeframe. The mayor had expressed concern that if help didn't come soon there would be no town left to save. While initial reports from the border patrol indicated simple bandits were involved, the Hokage had sent a proper squad to investigate. It would be politically unfortunate if a border town turned against Konoha. They were sent as they could cover the distance faster than any teams on hand. When they arrived, Kakashi had them split off into pairs to cover more ground quickly. Sasuke and Sakura found the civilians hidden in a cave. Unfortunately, they also found five squads of Iwa ANBU in the cave as well. Everything went to hell. Kakashi and Naruto arrived too late to stop them from bringing down the other two. After Kakashi decimated one squad, the remainder decided discretion was the better part of valor and promptly ran the other direction, the bound Sasuke and Sakura in tow. They would have pursued the fleeing Iwa forces, but the cave, filled with civilians was rigged to explode. A generous amount of clones were the only thing that kept the civilians from oblivion. The corpses of the other ninja were destroyed in the blast. Naruto swore to bring her teammates back no matter the personal cost. Outwardly she was completely blank. However, behind her cool façade, there was a festering pile of fury that the Kyuubi delighted in. Naruto promised herself that if either one of them was dead she'd level this fortress. If they both were, well, that might be all for Tsuchi no Kuni.

Naruto was generally an outsider. She had been burned one too many times to trust anyone immediately. Given time, she could be friendly, warm even. But, above all else, she was loyal; loyal to the point of altruism. She wouldn't strike back against her childhood attackers because she was loyal to the Sandaime. He loved the village; therefore, Naruto would not harm its citizens, corrupt or otherwise. When she was placed on a team with an avenger and his fangirl, she felt little, if any, affection for them. But, Kakashi had somehow managed to form them from three strangers to something more than a cohesive team. He made them a family, a family Naruto could not imagine being without.

The Iwa forces in that fortress would die. It was not the threat of an angry child, but a simple statement; there was no malice on the surface just apathetic facts. It was like reading a history book. She'd deal with the guilt later. Right now, she had friends to save and dozens of people to murder in a brutal fashion. Angry? Nope, not angry at all.

When Naruto brought to bear the full focus of her ire, she could create impressive, unorthodox plans that worked despite being a smack to the face of conventional wisdom. She wouldn't stop. She wouldn't falter. She wouldn't hesitate. Akatou didn't stand a chance.

"Well, I've seen sections of the Hokage tower restricted area less secure than this… behemoth." Naruto said searching for an appropriate term for the impressive piece of defensive warfare.

Kakashi sighed, "Any use of chakra anywhere near that thing will have every guard on full alert, and that's not an exaggeration, those sensors will react quickly to any techniques you use. Hell, even using the tree climbing exercise might bring them running." Kakashi looked through a spyglass before he continued speaking. "Sasuke and Sakura will be in the main administration building across from the barracks in the center." Kakashi gestured to the larger of the two buildings. "It would be impossible to enter from the ground."

Naruto smirked, a trick she picked up from working with Sasuke for so long, "Well, it's a good thing I'm not going in on the ground." Naruto backed down the hill before standing to her full height, casting off her cloak, and taking a deep breath.

While other jinchuuriki received hell flames or a shield of sand from their bijuu, while useful in combat, Naruto received something much different. Shapeshifting. Not the standard academy technique, proper shapeshifting, no chakra required. It was completely undetectable by other shinobi, excluding seeing it of course. It was the tool of a shinobi not a flashy technique. Naruto wouldn't have it any other way.

Within Naruto changes began to occur. Bones hollowed out and mass began to shift and move toward two off tilt lines on her back. Then with a grunt of exertion, two dark gray, feathered wings burst from Naruto's back. It didn't stop there, however. The wings grew larger and larger before reaching the balance between Naruto's weight and the wing span necessary for flight. Naruto had taken the true shape shifting provided by being the vessel of the Kyuubi to its logical conclusion. She learned to fly; an ability she had kept to herself until this point.

Kakashi decided it was no less impressive to watch the second time around. When Naruto told him she had a method to enter Iwa's most secure garrison, he had a simple response: "Show me." After seeing it for the first time, Kakashi, despite himself, had hope they could retrieve his lost students. He was curious, however, why Naruto didn't tell him, or the Hokage for that matter, about this before.

Her response was simple but adequately explained the far reaching consequences of having an army of flying, potentially explosive, clones. "Politics," was her calm response. If information about this leaked, coupled with her well known spam of kage bunshin, every hidden village and daimyo would want their own air force, a service only she could provide.

She would be hunted, endlessly. People would want her in their service or dead. Kakashi understood, but the Hokage would have to be told. How Kakashi had convinced the Hokage to wait until the mission was complete to ask his questions, he had no idea. A mission into enemy territory went against all standing treaties. He had to call in every favor with the Hokage he had left to get this mission, including the 'I'll tell Naruto about her parents' card; an action that he was relatively sure would cause the aged Hokage to kill him. It worked, barely.

It was worth it; and seeing Naruto now, he was certain her plan would work. After all, he trained her, and she was one of the stealthiest people he had ever met. "The overhang on the roofs of those towers, while good for defense from the sun and the arc of a thrown weapons, is about to bite them in the ass, isn't it." Kakashi observed wryly.

Naruto let one of her patented 'fox-like' grins split her face. "You're damm right. Aside from the sentinels on the walls, no one could notice me and a few clones dropping right onto those roofs." Naruto put a hand under her chin thoughtfully. "Still, the light coming off that waning gibbous isn't going to make this easy," Naruto said gesturing to the moon in the sky above them. She thought for a moment before bolting her head up. "I'm a certifiable genius," Naruto went through eight hand seals before quietly calling out the name of her technique, "_Raiton:_ _Atsuen _**_Ikazuchi no jutsu _****(Lightning Release: ****Rolling Thunder technique)."**

**In the relatively clear sky to the west, clouds began to gather, slowly, as to not draw suspicion. The mass of clouds swelled and darkened as it moved ever so slowly, to the east. Pearls of lightning could be seen if one looked closely enough at the cloud bank that had come to rest over Akatou. Conveniently, the gathering of thunderheads dispersed the light that came off of the moon above. The denizens of the fortress had forgone starting traditional watch fires outside the stronghold because of the plentiful luminescence the heavenly body had provided. This would prove costly. **

**"Well, looks like it's time for me to take to the skies." The last princess of Uzushiogakure, a fact she was unaware of, stretched before signaling a shadow clone to generate a strong breeze for her to run into. **

**"Good luck, and if things go bad, get the hell out**** before I lose you too." Kakashi called out.**

**"Don't worry," the scion of the Uzumaki clan said with a cocky grin that Kakashi could practically feel radiating from beneath her facemask, "Who expects someone to sneak into Akatou from the sky?" **

**Kakashi shrugged in difference to Naruto's point, before getting out of the winged kunoichi's way. The bunshin at the bottom of the hill turned up the wind it was generating as Naruto charged down the hill, wings flapping furiously. With a burst of effort, she was airborne. Naruto glided down the hill swiftly before covering some distance between herself and Akatou before pulling upward toward the artificial storm she created. Well out of range from the sensors of the fortress Naruto spawned four kage bunshin in the air around her.**

**Given Iwa's history, they really should have been more prepared for attacks from above. Arguably Iwa's most dangerous missing nin, Deidara****, loved to launch attacks from his clay bird above the battlefield. It is a point of embarrassment for Sunagakure then, that a ninja from the village of rocks was capable of something that the village of wind was incapable of, gliding fan users or no.**

Naruto and her quartet of clones pushed higher and higher into the air while simultaneously suppressing her chakra as to not be detected upon touchdown. The sensation was euphoric. It was a shot of freedom in her somewhat restrictive life. A squad of ANBU followed her usual routine back in Konoha. From the sky directly above, the fortress seemed to be a square surrounding a grid pattern of smaller squares.

Naruto and her four kage bunshin hovered around one hundred yards above a cluster of towers near the center of the compound. They floated down slowly, making tight circles to minimize the distinctive sound of flapping wings, before coming to quiet landings on five towers in a cross formation with the original in the middle.

'_Now for a little camouflage.' _ Naruto thought to herself wryly. With a modicum of effort ten wings retracted into her back, while mass was redistributed and bones were refilled. Naruto focused for a brief moment, causing her hair and clothing to shift to the same shade of red the rest of Akatou possessed. Ironically, Naruto had unknowingly given herself the same distinctive shade of red hair so closely associated with the Uzumaki clan. Happily, her shapeshifting used no chakra whatsoever.

Seeing her clones had followed suit, Naruto signaled her clones to take prone positions. Each tower of Akatou was manned even during the relatively lax night shift. Not willing to risk being spotted climbing down the tower, Naruto had each clone watching the directions the shinobi in the tower below her, as well as the one directly across from each clone. Since being dispelled would cause a slight flare of chakra, her bunshin would raise one arm into the air indicating that it was clear to go. Naruto settled into a crouch near the easternmost edge of her tower. It could be a while before each of the tower sentries were looking in a different direction. Conveniently, she didn't have to wait on her perch for very long. Quiet as a fly she dropped carefully down the corner support column of the observation floor of the tower. Skilled hands found small crevices in the rock of the tower as she made her meticulous descent. Around two minutes later, Naruto had touched down on the sturdy ground that made up the fortress.

Crouching at the base of the tower, Naruto pulled open a pouch secured to her thigh. Naruto carefully removed a roll of paper notes. Now, standard explosive notes would have little effect on the impressive structure before her. However, Naruto had specially crafted these particular seals for this exact purpose. The standard explosive note balanced explosive power and range while relying on shrapnel from the environment to do the heavy lifting. Naruto's modified notes traded almost the entire range of the explosive for a very compact very powerful charge. Placed in the right spots even the vaunted towers of Akatou would break in two like a child breaks a tree branch. The notes were already primed, hence Naruto's slow deliberate movements. Removing one of the notes from the large roll, she set about finding the right spot to place it.

"**There, just above your head,"** the rumbling voice of the Kyuubi provided, **"that will provide the destruction you seek."**

Naruto made no movement despite being startled by the voice of he tenant, a testament to the professionalism of the young chunin. Naruto was justifiably suspicious _'Kyuubi why would you help me?' _Her expression hardened. _'What do you gain from this?'_

Sensing the obvious suspicion of its host, the Kyuubi no Kitsune spoke in a casual tone to its container. **"Is it so hard to believe I want my host's companions to live?" **Receiving silence as its only reply, the fox chuckled lowly. **"Alright, maybe I'm just interested in the destruction of these fools. They took what belonged to you." **

Suspicious, but, perhaps unwisely, willing to give the demon a chance, Naruto responded. _'Alright, I'll accept your advice, but I know enough about explosives to tell if your 'suggestions' are just a trick' _

The greatest of the nine smiled in its cage. **"I wouldn't dream of it." **Inwardly, the Kyuubi was rather pleased with itself. It liked its container, as much as one could like the prison they live within. She didn't speak often with the massive demon, but when she did it was with dignity. It was like talking to an associate rather than an enemy. No one had treated it that way. Madara saw it as a tool, Kushina saw it as a burden, and Mito, well Mito was the worst of all. She wouldn't even acknowledge that it existed. That infuriated the demon lord. The rest of the world just feared it. Compared to these, Naruto was the kindest person the world would ever know. Besides, knowing the girl her entire life made the Kyuubi attached to her. A few careful manipulations during her life allowed the Kyuubi to shape her in a form it found pleasing. It kept away sickness and disease and wouldn't let even the deadliest poisons harm its container. But Kyuubi was a bijuu, in fact, it was the strongest bijuu, sans the Juubi, and it had no intention of reforming with that thing. The thing about powerful demons, they take what they want. And Kyuubi wanted Naruto. So it used the seemingly infinite time it had in the seal to scheme. A few well placed moves over time and it believed it could have its host right where it wanted. _**'A little wanton slaughter and a little trust from the gir,l this is working out spectacularly. I've started proving my 'loyalty' to her. Now, all I have to do is make me the only thing she can count on.'**_ It would take time, but Kurama would have its prize. The Kyuubi suppressed a chuckle that would give his host ample reason to suspect its true intentions.

Takin' a page break. Takin' a page break.

Naruto moved swiftly and silently through the compound, placing the explosive notes where the Kyuubi recommended. She was pleasantly surprised to see that the great demon had not tried to fool her into placing tags where no significant damage would occur.

Absently, she wondered how many Iwa nin would die in the initial wave of explosions. Fortunately for her and unfortunately for the forces of the base, the explosives being placed on the beams supporting the roofs of the individual towers when ignited would cause deadly stone shrapnel as well as the heavy roofs to rain upon them, a move that would swiftly kill nearly ever ninja manning the towers. She felt a small twinge of guilt at killing so many people, but she shoved it down in her gut.

With her notes half depleted and nearly every structure tagged, including key spots of the larger buildings in the center, Naruto pondered how to get past the two guards covering the only entrance to the barracks. A quick survey of her surroundings placed the entrance to the central compound directly in front of her while she hid within the shadows of a tower. She glanced up, her cloud bank would dispel soon without her action. Since it would use chakra, she'd just have to let it disperse. She couldn't wait all night. She spotted a few towers crumbling slightly near the edge of the observation deck ledges. Carefully grabbing a couple of rocks off the ground, she eyed the distances to two separate towers before making two, carefully calculated throws. As she planned, the two guards immediately set out two investigate separately the noises at the different towers. When they reached the areas they would assume the noise was merely the sound of rocks falling off the old towers. After waiting a beat, Naruto quickly moved toward the entrance before slipping inside.

The enclosed hallway she entered was irritatingly sparse. Naruto glanced at the cluttered walls. A few paintings and instructional scrolls hung there, including instructions for fire drills and…a flier for a dance class? At the end, the corridor branched off directly left and right into the two paths that would lead either to the barracks or administration buildings, depending on whether you went left or right. Busy walls aside there was virtually no cover in the hall, if a patrolling shinobi even looked down the hall she would be spotted immediately. She looked up. _'Bingo.'_ The ceiling, several yards above her, had stone diagonals that held up the triangular roof. Lanterns inside cones to direct the light downward burned under horizontal cross beams, providing the only illumination in the corridor. She crossed the width of the hallway, before stretching out her legs. The hall was four yards wide, not a lot of room to build up speed, especially without the use of chakra.

The sandaime container of the Kyuubi took a deep breath, released it, and charged down the width of the hall. Just before reaching the wall, she brought up one foot and pushed off forcefully. A quick back flip in midair had her feet planted firmly on the other wall. Letting herself crouch against the wall to absorb the shock, she planted both hands against the wall before pushing off again. She wrapped her hands above the cross beam above her in mid flight. Using her forward momentum, she swung her legs forward before wrapping her legs around the same stone crossbar. A quick swing later, she was perched on the horizontal piece of masonry. _'And they say Sakura's the graceful one.' _Naruto mused to herself. Looking ahead the hallway was lined with braces like the one she was crouched upon: two beams of stone connected each of the braces together. With balance that would make a cat envious, she crossed each beam. She calmly stopped at the branch. The prison was within the administration building, but she had business in the barracks first. A quick turn set her off toward the building that held the place the fortress' forces slept.

Takin a page break

Naruto had planned this operation meticulously.

She knew that the problem wouldn't be getting into Akatou, but rather getting out. Her own unique skills would facilitate an entrance, but she would have to use chakra to get out with teammates that may have debilitating injuries. So, she took this into account and came to a grim realization.

The only way she could get her friends home safely was to kill most if not all of the shinobi in the fortress. A straight fight would have been suicide. Naruto had no such plans. She would locate her friends, blow the fortress into rubble, and then Kakashi would clean out the crippled remnant of the standing forces. Before that, however, she would have to plant the remainder of her explosives. This led her into Akatou's barracks. She moved easily from one set of supports to another, almost too easily

Glancing at the ground, her suspicions were furthered when she continued to see no guards on patrol. Did they really think that no one would be able to get past the forces stationed outside? Her attention turned to the layout of the barracks. It was rectangular in shape with two hallways bisecting each other. She stopped at the intersection. At the end of the hallway she entered stood one door flanked by two doors on the walls next to it. Through those doors the brunt of Akatou's forces slept. Off to the left were the basic necessities, four doors led to the mess hall/kitchen, the showers, the restrooms, and the laundry rooms. Two doors on the right hall both led to the armory. She decided to see if there was anything in the armory worth using.

One guard dozed with his head slumped forward on an uncomfortable looking chair to the right of the door nearer to her. He was nondescript, brown hair, a red Iwa chunin vest, and standard shinobi pants adorned his form. Naruto, wary of the possibility of guards within the armory itself, crept over the cross beam leaving her just above him. Below, the small movements of the guard left the back of his neck exposed. Naruto drew a kunai from one of the pouches on her thighs, before holding it by the ring directly above the guard. This particular kunai was designed with the weight focused towards the tip of the blade. She watched the rhythmic movements of the man's breathing, waiting for the right opportunity. Naruto dropped the kunai, letting gravity grant it acceleration on its deadly descent. It struck the man in the back of the neck with a muted thump. The black blade had severed his spine, killing him instantly. Naruto dropped off the beam, holding it with her arms, before dropping down onto the stone floor without a single sound. She walked over to the body and plucked the kunai out of his neck. The red vest, designed to help hide the shinobi, now obscured the blood flowing out of his wound. Naruto tilted the man's head back against the wall, feeling a twinge of guilt at the shocked look in his lifeless eyes. She covered the cold orbs. With the help of the red walls and red uniform, the blood blended right in. Naruto quietly peeked around the edge of the door. Seeing no one was there she stepped inside.

The armory was a large room, with a few support pillars holding up the roof. Along the back wall, rows of lockers with metal lattice held the specific weapon sets of each ninja in the base. Less than a third of them were empty. Along the left wall, specialized weapons hung. Battleaxes, katanas, and a few hammers adorned the wall. The right wall held what she was looking for; a grid of boxes containing spare weapons and supplies.

She began searching through the drawers. _'Kunai, nope, shuriken, no, ninja wire, definitely not… Aha!' _A small grin split the pleasant features of Naruto's face. In the open draw, stacked in neat piles, were simple no-nonsense explosive notes. She scooped up two handfuls of the deadly payload and placed them into her rear equipment pouch. She closed all of the drawers carefully and placed some of her modified notes, as well as several from the fort's supply on the pillars; taking care to put them out of sight of any shinobi that might wander in before she put her plan in motion. Though, if they tried to awaken the 'sleeping' guard, a few visible seal tags would be the least of her problems. She exited the room leaving it much the same as when she entered.

With a quick repeat of her earlier maneuver, she was planted back on the supports. The left side of the hallway boasted no guards, leaving Naruto to plant several more tags at key points. As she was leaving the dining area she paused. She walked backed towards the kitchen on a hunch. A cursory examination of the stove confirmed her hunch. The industrial stoves were gas powered.

Perfect.

She cranked the stoves to high and broke the gas valves. A low hiss of steam indicated that the pipes were pumping the deadly fumes into the room. She placed a single standard explosive tag on the center oven, before making a hasty exit. Now that anyone awake would shortly smell those fumes, she didn't have long to complete her objectives.

She crept into the barracks, her eyes adjusting faster to the darkness than a normal human's would. Lines of bunk beds housed a force of ninja so large, that if awake, would have little problem delaying her long enough for the forces from the other rooms to come in and subdue her. Needless to say, the less time spent in their company the better. Not wanting to risk the gurgling noise of a dying shinobi awakening the others. She used some bandages to tightly bind kunai to the sides of her footwear. Taking two more into her hands she planted the four knives into the cracks of the stone wall and begun to scale.

The soft snoring from the sleeping ninjas covered the softer sounds of sharp blades cutting into flaking mortar. She placed several of her tags along the first three walls. As she was placing her explosives on the final wall, one of the kunai dislodged a small chunk of stones onto a bunk below. The single shinobi occupying the bunk stirred, and then sat up glancing around. Naruto flattened herself against the wall as best as she could, silently damming the wall for not having any cover. The groggy ninja glanced around before looking in Naruto's direction. She nearly panicked as adrenaline pumped into her bloodstream. She drew a kunai, ready to risk the telltale sounds of a man dying over dealing with an awoken adversary. The Iwa chunin muttered something about decrepit old fortresses, turned over, and fell back into a deep sleep. Naruto let out a quiet sigh before wiping the sweat from her forehead. Quickly placing the last tag, she swiftly climbed down from the twice damned wall. She moved down the rows of bunks, placing regular explosive notes at several intervals and carefully stepping over wayward limbs hanging in the aisles. The other four rooms passed without incident. Naruto left the doomed barracks and headed toward the administration building and her closest friends.

Takin' a page break, Takin' a page break

Sakura roused from unconsciousness, the sedatives they were given after their capture finally wearing off. The pink haired member of Fast Response Team Zero took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed were worn bars that covered two walls of her cell as it appeared to be in a corner. The second thing she noticed were the restrictive manacles on her wrists that she could feel steadily draining her chakra reserves at the same speed she recovered it. She glanced at the cell next to her, the only other in the small room. Sasuke was still unconscious. He was similarly bound. She listened attentively to her surroundings: she heard the soft scraping of turning pages coming from the top of the stairs that led into the room. She examined herself, her clothing was intact and her mask still in place. She remembered that standard protocol for prisoners of Iwagakure was to bring them to a secure location before sending out several runners to escort back one of Iwa's precious interrogation teams. It seemed they still had time.

Idly, her thoughts turned toward her remaining teammate and sensei. She had seen Kakashi cut down an entire squad of ANBU before most of them drew their blades. She chuckled softly, before wincing at the pain that came from the action. She placed a hand tenderly to her side. She sighed; she had cracked ribs, an ailment that she could have cured if she had access to her chakra. She doubted there were capable medics at whatever Iwa outpost they were at. Ninjas with medical skill were rare, even in Konoha, supposedly the greatest of the five.

She ran a hand through her now inky locks, silently thanking Naruto for the intricate seal tag that allowed her to change her hair color. She glanced over and her now brown-haired male teammate before deciding to wake him. "Sasuke, get up you lazy prick." Sakura called out in a hushed tone.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open as he sat up. Glancing out his surroundings Sasuke summed up their situation rather eloquently, "Well, shit," mostly eloquently anyway. He looked over to Sakura before raising a question. "Where do you suppose we are?"

Sakura pondered for a moment before replying, "We were taken around the border so the nearest place would be…" Sakura's eyes narrowed in annoyance as she echoed the Uchiha's earlier sentiment. "Well, shit."

"What's the problem?" Sasuke queried.

"Akatou." Sakura replied succinctly.

"This could be a problem." Sasuke said. He stared at the bars thoughtfully before letting his trademark smirk cross his face.

Sakura was slightly annoyed at the dark-haired avenger. "What, may I ask, is worth smirking at in this disaster of a mission?"

Sasuke's grin widened as he looked at Sakura. "Naruto is going to be well and truly pissed, I believe." Sakura's visage split into a smirk eerily similar to that of the last Uchiha's.

"That'll do, Sasuke, that'll do."

Takin' a page break Takin' a page break.

The administration building was significantly larger than the barrack, but, it was laid out in same grid-like manner with ten hallways crossing each other as opposed to two. In one quarter a flight of stairs led below and in the quarter opposite, a large office housed the living and working space of the fort's commander. A few clerks were burning the midnight oil in their respective offices. The offices were cramped, unpleasant, and poorly ventilated. Naruto moved quickly on the crossbeams, dropping down in front of each of the offices without a sound. She calmly executed each clerk before planting explosive tags and arranging their bodies to look like they had fallen asleep at the late hour. As she moved in a crouched position into the last office she heard a contented sigh of triumph. "Finally done, now, just to re…" He stopped suddenly as he turned to face Naruto. His eyes widened as he took a breath to shout.

He was unable to expel that breath as Naruto sprung into action. With two deft motions, she planted her hand over his mouth and her kunai into his jugular. She found herself unable to look away as the color and life faded from the clerk's face. His body let out a shudder as if he were only experiencing a chill. The fact that he slumped against her made it impossible to misinterpret his death rattle as anything but.

She didn't have time to dwell on the man's death, the way his features were frozen in shock and fear, or the photo of the man's smiling parents on his desk. She repressed the image; her excellent memory had burned it into her mind for her to feel crushing guilt later. She focused on her squad mates. There was one more task to accomplish before she could rescue them: she had to kill the fortress' lone jounin.

The office of Akatou's jounin commander was two things: very large and very empty. Having so much unused room in such crowded space was a luxury unto itself. A large desk facing the door, an armchair behind it, and two uncomfortable looking chairs in front of it were the only furniture in the room. Two doors in the back of the office led to the bathroom and sleeping quarters. A single desk lamp provided all the illumination necessary to chase the shadows from the room.

Behind the desk a man worked. His name was Mori Isamu and he was very pleased with himself. He had fought tooth and nail climbing through the ranks and doing his best to make his parents proud. His father and mother had both been accomplished ninjas of Iwagakure. He was a large man who relied on brutal taijutsu and the doton techniques common in his home village. He had trained hard to get where he was showing a shrewd with that was belied by his thuggish appearance. He sat behind his desk, proud of his accomplishments. Isamu had taken over command of Akatou just under a year ago and faced only a few minor skirmishes with missing nin foolish enough to challenge the might of the red stone fortress.

Recently, his bastion had acquired two valuable prisoners. As a result, a retaliatory effort by the enemy was expected within the next two days. He had been drilling the men into the ground all day to prepare them for whatever was sent their way. Not a completely unsympathetic commander, he had allowed the non-essential guards, the ones that patrolled the inner buildings, to have the night off. After all, Konoha wouldn't be able to get even a small force here that quickly. He contented himself to a night of tea and paperwork.

While ostensibly he was a very healthy male in his late thirties, under the surface he had a prostrate the size of an orange. Coupled with an almost unhealthy obsession with caffeinated tea, of which he had a steaming cup on his desk, he tended to be awake most of the night. He had to urinate nearly three times an hour, and despite warnings from the fortress' doctor, he would not cut back on his caffeine intake. Whether it was due to the caffeine or the frequent urination caused by the tea and prostrate, he was up most nights.

Unfortunately for him, the only enemy ninja who had ever infiltrated so deeply into Akatou had broken into the medical records to get that small piece of seemingly useless information, and she was perfectly content to wait for him to go back to his private bathroom.

She didn't have to wait long. Feeling a familiar pressure, Isamu walked to his old porcelain friend.

Takin' a page break

As soon as she heard the telltale clicking of a door locking, Naruto stole silently into the room. Crossing over to his desk she carefully removed a small vial from her equipment pouch. On closer inspection the vial contained a clear innocent looking liquid.

The fluid was in fact a potent poison that Sakura had given to her as a gift, an odd gift, but very valuable in their profession. It was colorless, odorless, and tasteless and worked best when ingested. She carefully uncorked the vial and poured a few drops into the steaming cup of tea. Hearing the sound of water running, Naruto moved swiftly back into the hallway just left of the door. She heard Isamu sit down with a contented sigh. The slight scraping of china on wood indicated he had picked up the cup. She waited, then, she heard a quiet gulp. Twenty-six agonizingly slow seconds later, she heard desperate coughing and the china clattering to the floor. Had she not killed everyone on the floor, she may have been worried at the sound. More coughs followed. She heard something splatter against the wooden desk. She looked inside just in time to see Isamu fall to the floor like a felled tree.

He didn't stir. A quick check of his vitals confirmed her kill. Hiding the body would have been pointless as anyone who wandered into the administration building would have raised the alarm at the sight of the dead clerks. Planting several explosive all over the large corner office, Naruto was ready.

It was time to bring her team home, together.

Takin' a page break

Ryotaro Daiki sat at the top of the two flights of stairs that led into Akatou's small detainment cells. His chubby frame and padded cheeks belied his intelligence. He was a scholarly type, often choosing to read during his off time, a far cry to the gambling and other such debauchery the rest of the fort generally enjoyed. He wasn't involved in any of the strenuous drills that the rest of the fortress had been subjected to. Why? He was one of Akatou's few, proud sensor nin. As a result, he often avoided physical labor. The privilege came with a drawback though; he was frequently put on the night shift. Unfortunately for him, with the recent delivery, prisoner watch was added to his list of duties.

He flipped a page in his book. It wasn't a terrible deal. He had more time to read and he was rarely bothered in the dead of night. Tonight especially, the usual patrolling guards weren't even out in force. His book had been getting intense. It was the first in the series, and he was already hooked. The end of the story was drawing near. The benevolent hero had moved into the heart of enemy territory to rescue his friends from a castle on a mountain so tall, only eagles would dare to climb it. Were he not so engrossed in the novel, he might have noticed the dropping chakra levels of his coworkers.

He did, however, see the form of his commander coming down the hall to him. His chakra felt off, but he didn't sense any chakra being used for a henge. He chalked up the odd chakra as a consequence of his leader's constant inhalation of caffeine. He sighed, marked the page in his book, and stood. If the commander came personally, it must have been important.

"Good evening, commander."

He received his response in a low whisper. "I have something important to tell you." His commander looked over his broad shoulder behind him, as if expecting someone to eavesdrop of the conversation. Seeing no one he motioned for him to come forward.

Daiki, excited at the secretive demeanor of his superior, got up to approach Isamu. Had he been paying attention, he may have noticed the lighter than usual footfalls of the man in front of him. "What do you have to tell me, commanded?" Daiki asked leaning in.

Isamu looked around again, before putting his head near Daiki's ear. Daiki felt a sharp stab of pain in his chest as his commander spoke into his ear: "There's a Konoha ninja here to retrieve the prisoners. Keep an eye out for her, I think she's headed this way." When Isamu moved back from him, Daiki was able to see the kunai sticking out of his chest. He tried to yell, but only a gurgling noise escaped the back of his throat. He managed to look up at the form of his 'commander.' Isamu's body seemed to shift from the bulky form of Akatou's commander into a slender, attractive kunoichi. His vision faded before he could see her face.

Daiki never got to finish his book.

Takin' a page break.

Naruto sighed at the rapidly cooling corpse before her. She had to put her foot on the man's chest in order to yank her kunai free. Fresh blood pumped from the open chest wound. Naruto did the man the courtesy of closing his eyes and settling his body into a relaxed position. She pulled a set of keys of his body. Then, Naruto proceeded down the stairs to her comrades.

Takin' a page break.

Sasuke's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He looked to Sakura; she had heard it as well. They stood simultaneously ready for an act at defiance of whoever was sent for them.

As the sound drew nearer, Sasuke had trouble believing his eyes. Naruto's familiar visage came into view. From the mask on her lower face that all of team zero wore, to the familiar goggles set over her unusually serious eyes, eyes that softened upon seeing her teammates alive and mostly unharmed, it was definitely the appearance of his whisker-marked teammate. Or it was a henge. "Sakura," he called out, "is it her?"

The sensor of his team closed her eyes before replying. "Definitely."

At that statement, Sasuke relaxed. "The hair's a nice touch, Naruto."

As expected, he received a flippant remark. "Gee, you like it?"

Sakura took this moment to chime in. "It's very Uzumaki of you, actually."

"If you'd like, we can continue this chat all night. I'm sure no one will notice the dead bodies all over the building. Or, I could get you two out of there." Naruto replied, swinging a ring of keys around one finger.

A few key turns later, Sasuke and Sakura were standing next to her rubbing chafed wrists. They could already feel their chakra reserves refilling. Soldier pills, given to them by Naruto, boosted them back near full.

They shared a glance before looking at their third teammate. "You're late."

Instead of uttering the 'Fuck you, too' that was on the tip of her tongue, Naruto just smiled. Having her closest friends back was a nice feeling.

Another key was utilized to open the locker that contained Sakura and Sasuke's equipment. Looking over her elongated knives, Sakura spoke to her normally blonde squadmate without looking up: "So, what's the plan?"

Naruto put hand behind her head sheepishly. "Well, there are enough explosives here to turn Akatou into a fine mist. One chakra pulse and things go very poorly for everyone involved."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming you have a way for us to survive this."

Naruto grinned broadly. "You didn't think I'd place explosive notes right above us did you? As long as we're down here we should be just fine. Mostly, anyway."

"How much is mostly, exactly?" Sakura asked trepidation in her voice.

"I don't really know." Naruto shrugged then smiled. "Should be a fun, new experience for us."

"You blowing us all up is hardly a new experience." Sasuke deadpanned.

"Fuck you too, teme." Naruto replied brightly.

Takin' a page break.

Three of Naruto's clones had opted to dispel, informing their creator of the plans of the fourth. The fourth bunshin had gone back to the sky to maintain the storm above. She did large, lazy circles through the unnaturally still air. Attentively watching the fortress below, she didn't notice the S-class missing nin approaching from the sky above.

Deidara had been casually flying back from a mission for Akatsuki. He knew Tsuchi no Kuni intimately, and seeing an oddly isolated bank of thunderclouds hovering over the section of land he knew contained Akatou made him want to investigate. He was adequately surprised by the presence of a winged kunoichi soaring lazily through the air above the old fortress. The mild threat of being struck by lightning couldn't dissuade his curiosity towards another flying shinobi. He felt a sense of satisfaction at the look of shock he received upon flying into her path.

The clone had to flap her wings furiously to avoid a collision with the mad bomber. She nearly dispelled to inform the original of this complication, but upon seeing the slash through the metal baring his village symbol, decided that may not have been the best choice.

Deidara looked over the kunoichi in front of him before speaking. "Mind if I ask what a Konoha nin is doing _hovering_ over Akatou?" He indicated the headband secured tightly to her neck.

Going over a dozen thought paths in her head, she decided there may be some merit in honesty. Besides, the original should be nearly finished anyway. She locked eyes, or eye rather, with the missing nin and spoke: "I'm not really here."

"Is that so, un?" Deidara replied amused.

"Yes, I'm actually down there." She said indicating the bastion below.

Deidara nodded in understanding. "Clone, then?"

The kage bunshin simply nodded.

"So what are you doing exactly?" The explosive expert asked, crossing his arms while maintaining balance on his clay construct.

"Well," the jinchuuriki spoke, "I'm retrieving my team from the holding area within."

Deidara was mildly amused. This girl had, if her statement was true, snuck into arguably Iwa's greatest fortress completely undetected. Something didn't add up though. "How do you plan to get injured teammates out?"

The shadow smiled nervously. "I was sort of going to, you know… blow it up."

Deidara, with a straight face, stared into her eyes. "Come here." He ordered, not asked. S-class ninja do not ask.

The clone hesitated, but flew forward closer, not wanting to anger the man she had now identified as "The Mad Bomber" Deidara.

When she drew close enough, he continued speaking. "How are you going to blow up Akatou? Lay it out for me, un."

The clone swallowed a lump in her throat. "I, -b-by I, I mean the original- planted enough specialized explosive tags down there to turn the whole thing to rubble. When the original gets to her team, she will send out a pulse and light them all more or less simultaneously. It should be an impressive, if, uh, dusty, explosion." She finished with a nervous smile.

A grin broke Deidara's stony features, causing the bunshin to visibly slacken with relief. Deidara motioned for her to sit down next to him. The clone cautiously sat down next to the pony-tailed man. He looked her over again. "One last question, how do you feel about art?"

The clone thought for a long moment. She looked at Deidara before responding. "Art is… a bang." She finished on a nervous, hopeful note.

Deidara's smile grew wider. "I think we're going to get along just fine."

The clone slightly emboldened by the last comment spoke calmly. "I'm glad to hear that. Care to stay for the show?" She asked, hoping the answer would be no.

"I was going to anyway, un." Deidara said with a smirk.

The bunshin's head slumped. "Of course you were."

Takin' a page break.

Naruto looked at Sasuke an Sakura. "Ready?"

They checked their equipment once more before nodding.

"Hit it." Sasuke said.

Naruto made a hand sign. "Kai."

There was a deathly silence.

There was a dreadful noise.

There was a deathly silence.

In the barracks, Naruto's special tags collapsed the wall while simultaneously lighting the standard tags around them. The lucky ones died in their sleep. The others felt a moment of sheer terror before being crushed to death or consumed by pressure waves and flames. There were no survivors.

The majority of the administration building collapsed in on itself while a huge gout of flame erupted into the still night sky. Only one small section was left virtually untouched. There were three survivors.

In the towers from which Akatou drew its name, support columns crumbled instantly, causing the shinobi on watch to be flattened by the roofs that had previously protected them. Had they been able to look back on this moment, they may have found the irony poetic. Or they may have been angry at dying in such a manner. It's hard to say. Guard duty is so dreadfully dull. They had no such luxury. Those that managed to survive the destruction of the supports were crushed when the towers fell into each other. The red sentinels fell in a domino fashion, each one hitting the next until no tower was left standing. There were no survivors.

The walls which had protected the inner workings of Akatou fell inward. Many of the shinobi that had been patrolling were crushed between the large chunks of crimson rubble. The Iwa ninjas were quick, however, and over a dozen survived.

In the moments ahead they would wish they had been crushed. After all, an instant death would be fair preferable to the vengeful wrath of the man who, more than any other ninja in Konoha, had a deep value of his comrades and would not hesitate to eviscerate anyone who stood in his way.

Takin' a page break.

Moments previously, Deidara had a bird's eye view, so to speak, of the series of explosives below. The epicenter of the blast had shot up to the sky in a misshapen column of orange that illuminated the surrounding countryside and scared the hell out of any indigenous wildlife. Around the center of the blast the towers crumbled, sending up red dust lit beautifully by the roaring flames. Little fire came from the towers themselves, due to the nature of the explosives put into play. The center buildings however had had standard exploding tags placed as well as the modified concussive tags. The pressure and heat could be felt even on Deidara's clay construct. The force was almost enough to dispel the clone in the sky.

Deidara examined the explosion with a critical eye. After a moment he nodded. He looked over at the clone of the daughter of the Fourth Hokage. "You will work just fine." He proceeded to pull out a scroll and brush.

The clone narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?" If things were going to go out of control she needed to dispel and inform the original of this development.

Deidara seemed not to hear her, apparently focused on writing on his parchment. It was rather impressive, considering he was steering his clay bird in lazy circles at the same time. He diligently added a few more brush strokes before drying the ink with a simple technique and rolling up the scroll. He turned to the bunshin.

"All in do time my firecracker, all in do time. Now take this," he said handing the clone the scroll. "and make sure you get it to your mistress."

The clone was about to retort to the firecracker comment when it was promptly shoved off the bird. As she fell she thought she heard him call out. "Don't be a stranger. I'll be around." Deidara flew off into the night.

As she spread her wings to catch some of the hot updrafts from the fires raging below, the bunshin let out a breath she hadn't know she was holding. Deidara was terrifying. He seemed friendly enough, but the clone had seen his eyes as he analyzed the explosion. There was a childlike glee mixed with a manic calculative gaze that reminded her that that man could wipe her, and Akatou, out without so much as a second thought. S-Class nin, aggressive or not, were scary as hell. She flew through the air, idly curious about the contents of the scroll in its hands.

Takin' a page break

As soon as the first explosions had started, Kakashi had bolted toward Akatou like a bat out of hell. His time with his team had caused him to step up his own training. He closed the distance in under a minute. The Iwa ninja closest to him turned just in time to have his throat slashed open by Kakashi's kunai. He dashed back into the rubble, undetected.

The others had grouped together in an attempt to survive whoever had crippled their fortress. In the flickering light provided by the fading holocaust behind them, they scanned anxiously for whoever had felled their De facto leader. They found nothing. That is they found nothing, until lightning flashed on all sides before driving into the group. A lucky few were able to dodge. The rest had their innards liquefied and their flesh charred to a crisp.

Seven frightened chunin were all that remained of Iwa's red refuge. A man scared out of his mind tried to run. He made six long strides before his head fell from his shoulders. The remainder stood in a tight circle, heads jerking around watching shadow retreating in light of the dying fire behind them.

A scarred veteran yelled out with a bravado he did not feel. "Show yourself, you damn coward!"

He heard a sizzling noise. There were five explosive notes on his chest. Rather than futilely trying to pull them off his chest before they went off, he chose the noble path and ran as far from the group as possible before he was embraced by oblivion.

The pressure from the explosion kicked up red dust that further smothered the flaming ruins. The shadows pressed in closer.

Disoriented by the explosion, another chunin was unable to dodge the four raiton charged kunai that found his chest through the mist of red dirt all around them. He fell over, dead.

The flames shrank more. The shadows grew longer.

A gurgling sound came from a black haired chunin, causing his comrade to look over at him. He was holding his bleeding throat with one hand. When his eyes finally rolled up into his head, the three shuriken he had been holing between the knuckles on his other hand clattered uselessly to the ground.

The fire fell to the luminosity of a paper lantern. The darkness was suffocating.

Two blasts of lightning found the face and heart of a green-eyed chunin. He fell backward. The thump of his body was deafening in the silence.

The fire was just embers now. The last chunin strained his eyes in the dark.

He was left wondering what kami they had offended to bring down this hell upon them. He didn't get to wonder long. He gasped and looked down. A single katana blade came through the front of his chest, through his heart.

As the corpse slid off of Kakashi's blade he muttered quietly, "And then there were none." He slipped away to find his students.

The embers faded entirely. The darkness was absolute.

Takin' a page break.

As the three "genin" of team seven stepped out of the only place left untouched by the explosions, Sakura gave Naruto a deadpan stare. "How's that motto of yours go?"

"The log is the greatest ninja tool?" Naruto supplied.

"No, the other one."

"Oh, if explosive aren't working, you're not using enough." Naruto said confidently.

"Yeah, that's it." Sakura replied brightly.

"Speaking of which," Naruto ran back to their temporary shelter and slapped two more tags on it. "We should probably go."

After sprinting a brief distance, an action which stretched Sasuke and Sakura's tired muscles nicely, the last standing portion of Akatou crumbled to the dirt.

Kakashi appeared in front of them. "Was that really necessary?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "Don't you always tell us 'No half measures.'?"

Kakashi eye smiled through his ANBU mask, "It's good to see you can listen." While he seemed nonchalant on the outside, the three junior members of team zero could see the relief in his body language. "It's nice to see you by the way. Three days is a long time."

Sasuke's eyebrows went into his hairline. "Three days? We were out for three days?" He managed to school his features back into their casually dismissive state. "Still, I didn't expect you two to get here so fast"

Kakashi, as he had Sasuke in a corner, was quick to retort, "What's my favorite saying, Sasuke?"

"Sorry I'm late. I was lost on the road of life." Sakura replied glibly.

"Where's my Icha Icha?" Sasuke replied in a monotone.

"Dammit, Naruto, stop rubbing poison ivy on the toilet paper in the Jounin Lounge." Naruto supplied helpfully.

Kakashi grew more dismayed with each statement. "No, no, and n- wait, Naruto that was you?"

"No." Naruto replied cheekily.

A slab fell off its precarious perch slamming into the ground, interrupting their reunion.

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Come on, I want to get back to Konoha in twenty-three hours."

With that, Fast Response Team Zero left Akatou a whole unit once again. Kakashi took the front followed by Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto took the rearguard position. The other three didn't react when Naruto's bunshin, sans wings walked up to Naruto. They didn't notice when it slipped a small scroll into he equipment pouch, before dispelling.

Naruto nearly slipped mid-step as the memories returned to her. She sincerely hoped Deidara hadn't handed her an explosive note. The clone hadn't seen him put chakra into it so she relaxed, if only slightly.

What the hell did an S-class missing nin want with her.

Team Zero left the country into the heart of the sunrise.

Takin' a page break.

It was an hour after sunrise when the five-ANBU Iwa interrogation team crested the hill that overlooked Akatou.

They stopped suddenly. They looked down into the ruins of what was once Iwa's proudest fortress. The ANBU Captain was the first to form coherent words.

"Son of a bitch."

He took another good look. A shiver of fear went down his spine. He was old enough to have fought in the last Great Shinobi War and the sight below made him very nervous. It seems some survived.

The red stone towers had fallen in a domino pattern that could be only be one thing.

In the orange light of the early morning, the red spiral of the Uzumaki clan glowed.

End

A/N If you reached this point, you probably read the story. If so, I hope you enjoyed it. This was an idea I had to put female Naruto in a more serious light, as well as, putting my idea for a speed focused team together. If I get a decent reception to this one shot, I'll make it into a proper full-length story.

Interrupter, out.


End file.
